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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kid — to tease
  4. scale — in music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. band — a music group
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bank — for money
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. kid — child
  14. bank — for money
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rule — a law
  17. bank — of a river
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rule — government
  20. lean — thin
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. band — a ring
  23. scale — size or range
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com